Means of maintaining railway cars in a horizontal plane



Sept. 21, 1 37. T. H. SCHOEPF ET AL 3,48

MEANS OF MAINTAINING RAILWAY CARS III A HORIZONTAL PLANE Filed Jan. 10, 1955 INVENTORS 73 5000125 0. :ewaePf;

DAV/D M. BITCH/E.

Patented Sept. 21, 1937 MEANS' OF MAINTAINING RAILWAY ones IN A- HORIZONTAL PLANE I Theodore H. Schoepf and David M. Ritchie, C incinnati, Ohio, assignors to The Cincinnati Traction Building (30., Cincinnati, Ohio, a cor- J poration of Ohio Application January 10, 1935, Serial No. 1,196

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a means of maintaining adjacent railway cars in a horizontal plane, irrespective of the torsional twist of one car with respect to the others, breaks 'ingrade or passage around curves. f

In particular, this invention relates to articulated carsand a'means of maintaining the articulated cars'in alignment so their platforms will remain in alignment with one another and'will be maintained substantially in a horizontal plane irrespective of the movement of thetrucks or thecondition 'of the rails and roadbed.

It is an objectof the'invention to provide for an articulated construction having trunnions in which the t'runn'ions have their bearing faces described on an arc the center'of which is on the vertical axial plane" passing through the center of the train, and through the center of gravity of the train; and toalso have-thefaces of the thrust devices constituting the side bearings for the cars also described as arcs about thesame center on which the arc of theface of the trunnion is described. I i

It is an object ated system, whereby as the 'car body tilts the tilting of the'body will beresisted and delayed so that the tilting movement of the body will be dampened-and the floor 'willbe maintained in substantially a horizontal plane.

It is a further object to provide against quick rocking, vibratory movements characteristic in high speed trains, and particularly disadvantageous in articulated trains.

It is a further object to place the side bearing thrust members and the hydraulic cylinders on axial lines which radiate from the common center of description of the arcuate surfaces ofthe'side bearings .andtrunnions'.

Referring tothe/drawing:

Figure '1 is a diagrammatic view of one end of an articulated car'body, showing the trunnion,

- trunnion socket, side bearing thrust members and the hydraulic system. I

an arc drawn about thecenter-l located inthe to provide a hydraulically actu- Figure 2 is an enlarged'section through the faceof'which at 3 is described on the surface of centralvertical plane 5, on which lies the center of gravity. This trunnion is mounted in a socket plate 6 carried on the'truck generally designated 1. The numeral 8 designates the fioor of the car body I. On either side of this floor, preferably as a part of the end sill casting, there are located the diagonally disposed side bearingthrust members 9, which are axially disposed along the radial line l0 emanating from the center 4 located on the vertical plane 5. The face of this thrust bearing member 9 is arcuate, as at II, and is described on an are drawn about the center 4. Thereafter the arcuate face of the'trunnion 2 at 3 is described on a circle concentric with the circle ber 9 is a part. r

The thrust member 9 works within a radially disposed cylinder I2, which carries a piston 13 that has an arcuate face I4 engaging with the arcuate face II of the thrust side bearing 9. This piston is supported against free movement by the fluid I5 which is supplied through the port IE and pipe' H from ,a pressure reservoir l8.

through which fluid under pressure is supplied so of which the arcuateface H of the thrust mem- This pressure reservoirhas-an inlet port l9-.

as to maintain a predetermined pressure in the system. Any desired means of accomplishing this may be-employed as it forms no part of the present invention. a

Located in the line I! is a restriction device comprising a member 20 having a restricted port.

2| for restricting the flow of liquid from one cylinder l2 on one side to the cylinder 12 on the other side in connection with resisting the down ward thrust on the liquid due to the tilting of the body. This restriction member is carried within the clamping collars 22, retained together by the bolts 23. These collars are mounted upon the pipes l1. 1

It will be understood that a companion railway car is mounted upon the same truck I, withits similar mechanism. The details of the trunnion construction, the articulatedconnections and the cars are of no importance in connection with the present invention. A typical articulated. con-.- struction only is, shown in the present drawing. A-

duplicate of the construction shown in Figure 1 is in the adjacent vehicle as the two vehicles, while carried upon a common truck, move independently one of the other, and it is this independent movement which causes the difliculty and the necessity of maintaining the bodies in alignment;

. particularly in alignment as" to the horizontal p sition of the car floors.

.By. restricting the IOCkjng movementviand is possible to more nearly maintain the adjacent car bodies in alignment.' It is also vital to reduce the amount of rocking and side sway, particularly at high speeds. The accumulated rocking becomes very serious when a train is t raveling at a high speed and the carsare freely mounted on trunnions as indicated, in which the car body is free to move laterally and vertically, and is free to rock in order to accommodate itself to breaks in grade, super-elevated rails and curves. This rocking, like a sympathetic vibration, has a tendency to increase when it once starts and one of the results of this invention is the reduction of such sympathetic vibrations by interposing in the path of such vibrations a medium such as heavy oil as a dampening factor in order to break up such movements. A further result is achieved in breaking up such vibrations, particularly at high speeds, in that the rate of vibration and rate of movement of the hydraulic fluid are necessarily out of synchronism with the speed of vibration and the rate of vibration set up in the vehicle through its leaf or coil springs which are located in the truck.

Operation When the car platform a with the body I rocks on the trunnion surface 3, one of the sidebearing thrust members 9 will be depressed and the other elevated. on the side towards which the body rocks the thrust member 9 will descend, and tend to compress the fluid l5. If not restrained this would serve to elevate the opposite side,bearing 9, but due to the restriction orifice 2| the flow of the fluid l5 under the impact of the floating piston l3 and pressure of the side bearing 9 the movement is restrained as the fluid is restricted in its movement through the orifice 2|. Therefore, the tendency of the body to rock is restricted,- and before the full rocking movement can take place the sway of the car will usually bereversed, due to the passage of the car either but of the curve or around a reverse curve because the entrance into a curve is the fundamental cause of the rocking or tilting of the bodyi.

Due to the fact that the adjacent bodies assume an angular position with respect to one another, due to breaks in grade, the side bearings may still freely rock for this purpose because of the fact that the surfaces and M of the side beafring members 9 and the floating piston I3 are described on concentric spheres with the surface of, the

trunnion 3 about the common center 4. As the clearance between the cylinder l2 and the side bearing thrust member 9 is ample, this movement can take place without binding, while at the same time maintaining the thrust uniformly upon the face M of the floating piston l3. Any sudden movements vertically, due to the vibration of the springs and the truck, will not affect the adjust- I draulic system and be dampened.

dampening the movements of thatcharacter, it

ing an arcuate face described about a given center,'a center plate adapted to receive and support said trunnion, laterally disposed side bearing members having arcuate faces described about the same center, hydraulic means for resistin the thrust of said side bearing members as the car body rocks on said trunnion, means of interconnecting said hydraulic means, and means of restricting the flow of hydraulic fluid from one hydraulic means to the other.

2. In combination, a car body, a trunnion supporting said car body, a center plate therefor mounted on a truck,,the face of said trunnion and center plate being described on an are about a point located on a plane vertically disposed to the body andnormal to the floor thereof; radially disposed side bearing thrust members mounted on said body axially aligned on radial planes from said center and having their faces described on an arc concentric with the are describing the surface of the trunnion; radially disposed hydraulic cylinders and pistons adapted to receive said side bearing thrust members, and means of supplying hydraulic fluid under pressure tosaid cylinders. v

3. In combination, a car body, a trunnion supporting said car body, a center plate therefor mounted on a truck, the face of said trunnion and center plate being described on an are about a point located on a plane vertically disposed to the body and normal to the floor thereof; radially disand means of regulating the flow of fluid to and from said cylinders.

4. In combination, a plurality of car platforms having their ends adjacent one to the other, trunnions mounted in the adjacent ends thereof having the same curvature, laterally disposed side bearings on 'each car body having faces described on the same are and of the same curvature as the trunnions, and hydraulic thrust means adapted to resist the thrust of said side bearing members.

5. In combination, a plurality of car platforms having their ends adjacent one to the other, trunnions mounted in the adjacent ends thereof having the same curvature, laterally disposed side bearings on each car body having faces described on the samearc and of the same curvature as the trunnions; .hydraulic thrust means adapted to resist the thrust of said side bearing members, and means ofcontrolling said hydraulic thrust means to regulate the degree of resistance to movement by said hydraulic means.

6. In combination, a car body, a depending I trunnion having an arcuate face described about a point on the center axis of thebody, a truck and center'plate for receiving said trunnion to permit the trunnion to move in all directions,

' laterally disposed diagonally. arranged side bearing members, hydraulic cylinders for receiving said members, floatingpistons adapted to engage said side bearing members, and means of supplying hydraulic pressure to said cylinders to resist the rocking movement of the car body.

'7. In combination, a car body, 9. depending trunnion having an arcuate face described about a point on the center axis of the body, a truck and center plate for receiving said trunnion to permit the trunnion to move in all directions, laterally disposed. diagonally arranged side bearing members, hydraulic cylinders for receiving said members, floating pistons adapted to. engage said side bearing members, means of supplying hydraulic pressure tosaid cylinders to resist the rocking movement of the car body, and means interconnecting said hydraulic cylinders to a common source of hydraulic supply.

' 8. In combination, adjacent bodies, a common truck, trunnions mounted on said truck to permit said bodies to rock freely with respect to one another, side bearing members on said bodies, and hydraulic means connected to said side bearing members adapted to resist the thrust thereon due to the rocking of the bodies, whereby the bodies are maintained with their floors in substantial alignment. i

9. In an articulated car having a car body and end trunnions and trucks, a center plate on each 10. In an articulated car having a car body and e'nd trunnions connected therewith, and a truck 1 also at each end of the car, each truck having a socket plate for each trunnion, the combination with hydraulic cushioning means at each side of the car body, between it and the adjacent truck, for controlling the degree of tilt ofv the body, said trunnions having arcuate pivotal faces, and said hydraulic bearing means having arcuate faces,

whereby the body can accommodate itself to curves and breaks in grade.

THEODORE H. SCHOEPF. DAVID M. RITCHIE. 

